Bubble Magus Skimmer Wattage Issue

[dizzle07]

Looking to see if anyone has had a similar issue or can help with some insight.

I recently purchased a Bubble Magus Curve 7 protein skimmer. Per manufacture specs it should run at 16 watts. My hydros XP8 controller is showing it running between 128 - 138 watts. I ordered a second Curve 7 skimmer hoping I got a faulty one and that one was running at the same high wattage. I tried changing outlets with no change. All other pumps and heaters are reading correctly on the controller.

I contacted Bubble Magus customer service and have not received any response.

 

[UncommonSense]

Hmm… that is odd… consider plugging something like a desk lamp with a known draw into the Hydros, and seeing if it reads an unreasonably high voltage on that too; it could be the hydros, not the skimmer!

 

[Connor At CoralVue]

Before any more returns or headache, get yourself some confirmation with a Kill-A-Watt. You can get these on Amazon or a Local Hardware Store for around $20.

This is a cheap device that would give you that confirmation on whether its the Bubble Magus AC Pump, or the HYDROS XP8 power monitoring, or something else....

What that something else could easily be lies in that Power Factor number that you have there.

That is essentially the efficiency of power use from the device in question.

You are reporting a power factor of 20.

That would mean .2, or 20% efficiency.
So in your case, 128W x 0.2 = 25.6W

The pump is drawing 128W, but it is only using 25.6W.

This means that 102W is being transformed into heat.

I would believe these number to be the unmarketed numbers, as the pumps is consuming, around that advertised wattage mark, but unadvertised is the actual consumption.

This is true for ALL PUMPS, as there will always be a small or large amount of heat loss.

This is why we preach about pumps such as the Reef Ocotpus VarioS DC Pump, a Power Factor of 0.95+, which contributes to extremely minimal waste or heat.

Most power factors examples will explain in terms of beer, as it is the easiest to visualize with foam per beer.

Picture a pint of beer, the liquid beer is real power and the foam is waste. A good bartender (high power factor) gives you lots of beer and little foam. A bad one (low power factor) serves mostly foam (waste/heat)—but you still pay for the whole pint.

 

[UncommonSense]

Before any more returns or headache, get yourself some confirmation with a Kill-A-Watt. You can get these on Amazon or a Local Hardware Store for around $20.

This is a cheap device that would give you that confirmation on whether its the Bubble Magus AC Pump, or the HYDROS XP8 power monitoring, or something else.

My Kill-a-watt has been acting really iffy for a while now… not showing anything but KWH consumed, incorrectly…

I’ve taken to just being a bit thoughtful and using a multimeter for load testing… at least it’s accurate!

 

[dizzle07]

Before any more returns or headache, get yourself some confirmation with a Kill-A-Watt. You can get these on Amazon or a Local Hardware Store for around $20.

This is a cheap device that would give you that confirmation on whether its the Bubble Magus AC Pump, or the HYDROS XP8 power monitoring, or something else....

What that something else could easily be lies in that Power Factor number that you have there.

That is essentially the efficiency of power use from the device in question.

You are reporting a power factor of 20.

That would mean .2, or 20% efficiency.
So in your case, 128W x 0.2 = 25.6W

The pump is drawing 128W, but it is only using 25.6W.

This means that 102W is being transformed into heat.

I would believe these number to be the unmarketed numbers, as the pumps is consuming, around that advertised wattage mark, but unadvertised is the actual consumption.

This is true for ALL PUMPS, as there will always be a small or large amount of heat loss.

This is why we preach about pumps such as the Reef Ocotpus VarioS DC Pump, a Power Factor of 0.95+, which contributes to extremely minimal waste or heat.

Most power factors examples will explain in terms of beer, as it is the easiest to visualize with foam per beer.

Picture a pint of beer, the liquid beer is real power and the foam is waste. A good bartender (high power factor) gives you lots of beer and little foam. A bad one (low power factor) serves mostly foam (waste/heat)—but you still pay for the whole pint.

Thanks for the response! Makes sense, I’ll definitely pick up a Kill-a-watt and double check it. If it confirms the high wattage, I’ll most likely return it and purchase a Reef Octopus Elite unless Bubble Magus responds back with a solution. It’s unfortunate because I actually really like the skimmer and has been performing great.